Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 2-5. In the latest collaboration between Goodman and photographer Doolittle, graceful, clear text and exciting color photos show the planning and construction of a New York City skyscraper. Inviting spreads introduce the work of the hundreds of people involved, from the architects, engineers, and experts on everything from parking to window washing to the construction team that solves incredible technical and logistical challenges. Goodman tells her story in beautifully edited, straightforward language that gives just the details that will sharpen kids' interest: when an enormous hammer is used on the foundation bedrock, for example, it makes waves in toilets a block away. Particularly moving are profiles and quotes from those involved that personalize the story and encourage readers to think about the human power and pride behind the engineering feats: My grandfather worked on the Empire State Building, and my dad built the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. I worked on the World Trade Center. Sometimes I look around and think, \lquote Yup, we helped make this city.' Stunning photographs, fact paragraphs in red type, and a concluding world map indicating where some of the construction materials originated further enhance this thoughtful, well-composed offering, which will nicely complement David Macaulay's Building Big (2000). --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Following the construction of the new Random House Building in New York City, Doolittle and Goodman have created a visual time line with photographs and personal interviews. Beginning literally from the underground and working their way up, they illustrate how a skyscraper is squeezed into a city block, with a design that melded building codes and restrictions with artistic goals. Quotes from contributing workers, including the architect, engineers, project superintendent, signalman, a mason, and others, are included. Each spread is covered with pictures and facts about the building. A concluding map of the world illustrates all of the countries that contributed materials to the project, and a glossary defines complex construction terms. Skyscraper takes a narrower approach than David Bennett's Skyscrapers: Form and Function (S & S, 1995; o.p.) and David Macaulay's Building Big (Houghton, 2000), both excellent books that cover the construction of skyscrapers. However, the book offers readers a more personal journey. Between the narrower scope and the smaller size, Skyscraper is more accessible to reluctant readers.-Delia Fritz, Mercersburg Academy, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Primary, Intermediate) Skyscraper's photo-essay chronologically traces the rise of the Random House building in New York City from inception to completion. The brief text outlines some of the challenges in the process and adds related facts (""It takes 258,000 bolts to fasten the steel together"") in asides printed in red type on each double-page spread. This overview will attract some youngsters with its dramatic photographs and whet their appetites for more information. The lack of depth can occasionally be confusing when several jobs and processes are covered in a couple of sentences, and some questions (such as why the building uses a concrete frame on the upper stories) are raised but never answered. Still, Goodman conveys both respect for the builders and awe at the precision and effort it takes to erect such a structure. Hard Hat Area also takes readers into the clouds. The book chronicles a single morning in the life of an apprentice ironworker as she checks in with various crewmembers (including a foreman, decker, signal man, welder, and crane operator) on a construction site and brings snacks and tools to each. Roth's stunning collages, overlaid on a photomontage of the New York skyline, showcase the various workers, their jobs, and their equipment in situ; clear explanatory notes describe the work and responsibilities for each person involved in the construction. This co-existence of story narrative and enumeration of factual information allows readers two entries into the subject. While each element can stand alone, in combination they provide a rich reading experience. [Review covers these titles: Skyscraper and Hard Hat Area.] (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Chock-a-block with big, bright, sharp color photos, this pictorial essay follows a New York City skyscraper (the new Random House Building, in a deft bit of product placement) from architect's table to furniture deliveries, then pulls back for dramatic high- and low-angle shots, plus some historical background. Without stretching the metaphor too far, Goodman compares the building to a human body, its skin being the curtain wall, for instance, the mechanical and electrical systems its "lungs and guts and nervous system." She also introduces (and quotes) several specialized workers, describes the often-Byzantine scheduling required to run a midtown-Manhattan construction site, and strews the margins with random, child-friendly facts, such as the number of toilets in the finished building, or the average weight of a hard hat. A final page on the literally worldwide origins of the skyscraper's materials is a perfect lagniappe for this soaring, stirring account. (Nonfiction. 7-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
